Inter-Action
"Ask Matt" Fan Forum Archives
Here are Matt Idelson's answers to questions fans put to him in May 2010:
Matt's Answers
Erik Wilder (emwilder@live.com) asks:When is Doomsday going to make a big comeback? He used to be Superman's deadliest enemy, and now he just seems like a bit of wimp.
Matt: Not sure it's fair to label DD a wimp after he got his head handed to him by a ton of Kryptonians, Erik, but his return is something we talked about quite a bit. Originally, he was going to be used again as a weapon of Lane's in the war, and we also discussed him actually igniting the war between NK and Earth, though we abandoned that idea. I won't tell you Doomsday will return soon, but I will promise that he'll return.
Carey Lester (track13d@yahoo.com) asks:
Matt, I was just wondering if there is any plans to collect the Superman stories from the ACTION COMICS from issue #601-642, when it was weekly and Curt Swan was drawing the stories. Also is there any chance of getting ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN back, starting with the numbers that SUPERMAN Vol. 2 ended with, issue #227, and have it on the week when there isn't a Superman book? Then we would have, SUPERMAN, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, ACTION COMICS, and SUPERGIRL, and also SUPERMAN/BATMAN & ADVENTURE!
Matt: From what I've been told, Cary, there aren't currently plans to collect ACTION #601-642 right now, but things have a way of changing in a heartbeat in this business. As for ADVENTURE, no return is planned yet (though we have been talking about it lately), but as you probably know by now, we'll be filling the that empty slot in the monthly calendar with an all-new SUPERBOY book. Will that suffice for now, pal?
Richard Hicks (brickhicks@hotmail.com) asks:
Hey Matt: Been lovin' everything you have done lately. Just wanted to know if, after the war, will we get to see some variety of Superman villains from the past? i.e; Loop-Hole, Savior, Barrage, Atomic Skull, Conduit, Dominus, Mxyzptlk, or Intergang, etc...?
Matt: Thanks for the kindness, Richard! We will definitely be seeing a slate of familiar, villainous faces in ACTION, but not the ones on this list. Having said that, we do plan to make a concerted effort to bring back - and in some cases - update slightly many of Supes' enemies.
Duncan Bennett (duncbennett6@yahoo.co.uk) asks:
Hey Matt, Are we ever going to get back to a non-huge event based series? Clark and Lois haven't actually spent anytime together for years, I can't recall Clark doing much reporting... in fact I can't recall seeing Clark very much at all! I understand that the editorial team may see it as 'people want big exciting events' all the time, but really alot of fans miss the shorter, not end of world threatening stories, where Lois and Clark work together to catch the bad guys! Any chance of a return to that?
Matt: A very, very fair question, Duncan! The good news is that we're very much leaving the event-driven stuff behind us for the next year or so. The bad news is that you won't be seeing very much of Clark and Lois together (or Clark Kent for that matter) during that period. As I'm sure you're aware at this point, Superman will certainly be the star of his book under the gentle guidance of JMS and Eddy Barrows, bringing the character back to some of his thematic roots. As for ACTION, Paul Cornell and Pete Woods may well be doing an overarching story, but in digestible bites of one-to-two issues per step on Lex's quest. And in SUPERGIRL, you'll be seeing a mix of shorter and longer stories with Kara back on Earth, firmly re-ensconced in Metropolis, and trying to move on with her life post-War (while catching bad guys, 'natch).
Daniel (daniel15ark@yahoo.com) asks:
Any chance of seeing more team-ups with Conner and Kara in the near future?
Matt: Actually, we do have the beginnings of a plan in place for a SUPERBOY/SUPERGIRL crossover sometime in the winter or spring of 2011, Daniel. And it would stand to reason that each might occasionally drop by the others' book to see how things are going.
Andrew Leyland (ajleyland@blueyonder.co.uk) asks:
Whilst I too was turned off by WONK, I am really looking forward to JMS taking over my favorite comic book character. However, I feel this 'stealth reboot' (i.e. Secret Origin) has been really badly handled. Whilst many silver-age fans felt put-out by the post-Crisis reboot, at least they got an ending! How about a "Whatever Happened To The Man of Steel" mini series by Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway giving closure to this era?
Matt: Interesting question (and great idea for a project!), Andrew! I'm sorry WONK and all that was attached to it wasn't your cup of tea. I hope the contents of the books post-War will be much, much more to your liking. Not sure, however, why you feel that SECRET ORIGIN will lack closure when the sixth and final issue is yet to come out. Couldja elaborate?
David Goodman (Email address withheld by request) asks:
I was just wondering how old Superman is in the current Comic Books?
Matt: Early thirties, David. Like I used to be, a long, long time ago.
Kyle (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Will we ever see Ruin again?
Matt: Possibly, Kyle, as Pete Ross is going to be reappearing on an ongoing basis in one of the Superbooks. And while Ruin's return doesn't necessarily depend on Pete's presence in the story, it's a thread from his past that's very interesting to me.
Doug The Doug Tisdale (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Matt, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I'm impressed by DC's recent trend to honor original series' numbering - WONDER WOMAN going from #44 to #600, ADVENTURE COMICS going from #12 to #516, and of course the first Superman series returning to its original title and numbering. So why was last month's SUPERMAN 80-PAGE GIANT #1 instead of #4? Did you guys forget about the first 3? You've kept the numbering for the Annuals; why not this series?
Matt: That is a smart inquiry, Doug! The SUPES 80-pager was part of a program to release an 80-page giant once a quarter, each featuring a different franchise (Batman, JLA, etc.). As such, it seemed like it made more sense (and would be more appealing to newer readers) to start all the 80-pagers' numbering over with #1.
Walt (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hey Matt, first time on this forum. I've been a Superman fan for almost all my life (41) but in various discussions, the question still remains, what is the "S" symbol? Technically it is not an S because it's Kryptonian, but has there been a real back story that explains it? I know the original concept for the "S" is for Superman, but now with a more sophisticated era, what's the true meaning? House of El crest or what? Maybe I've missed this story arc somewhere?
Matt: "First-time caller, long-time listener," eh, Walt? We embraced the idea that the S-symbol is indeed the crest for the House of El and have treated it that way through all of the New Krypton events. Sadly, I can't quite recall where we officially stated that concept, however. Guess I'm getting old. :-(
Freddie Crespo (Email address withheld by request) asks:
I'm curious about "Smallville" the TV series and the Superman comic books. With the story on Krypton, the Kandorians and Zod's desire for power... I've noticed that this season of "Smallville" also run this story (in their own way). With the "Smallville" season finale on May and the conclusion of the Kandorian saga on the book as well, both with a fight of Sup vs Zod, can you tell me if similarities in story is a coincidence or was this all planned somehow in advanced, to have the TV show and books parallel on the story?
Matt: That, Freddie, is one very excellent question, and one that I've never been asked before. I spoke with a lovely fellow named Ivan Cohen (who liaises with the studio, among his many other responsibilities). He said that, it was actually something of a coincidence, proving yet again that great minds think alike.
Blair Rhodes (Email address withheld by request) asks:
When will DC comics be available in a digital format the way that "other company" (psstt it starts with an M) has done?
Matt: Howdy, Blair! The digital arena is one of the many realities and trends of the present and future, and it's something every form of publishing is looking at very closely, of course. We'll see how things roll along.
Steve asks:
Matt, can you explain to fans how the situation with Marc Guggenheim being replaced by Paul Cornell took place? How will this affect the stories that were planned for "Action Comics"?
Matt: I'm really glad you asked that, Steve. This was a wonderful example of how, in a spin-filled world, telling the truth was interpreted as 100% spin (much to Guggs' and my chagrin). Like I said in wherever it was announced, Marc came up with a great direction for the book post-War, then we needed to go in a different direction. He came up with even better stuff, which I was really looking forward to, but after a year without Supes in the book, and looking at another year of his absence, we felt we needed something different. We threw an idea out to Marc which he really dug, but felt wasn't in his wheelhouse. Given that we'd shifted direction on him twice, I told him he was totally free to walk away from this, no hard feelings. I didn't want him to do something he wasn't totally confident in, and neither did he. And so he left, I wept, and life went on. And the world didn't believe a word of it.
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